Orlando activists blast city leaders for arrests of homeless people tied to new ordinance
Nov 12, 2024
As Central Florida leaders continue to grapple with how to help the region's growing population of homeless people, local activists in Orlando criticized city leaders Monday for their approval of an ordinance earlier this year that they say has disproportionately been used to arrest people who are living on the streets, or without shelter. The ordinance, approved by nearly unanimously by the Orlando City Commission in January, expanded the city’s definition of "disorderly conduct" to include "Any person who walks, stands, sits, lies, or places an object in such manner as to intentionally block passage by another person or to require another person to take evasive action to avoid physical contact."